avalaughs | TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 6

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TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 6

Check out the OOC intro meme for this month to say hi to new players/characters!

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A ⦿ Soaking in Your Arrival

KERPLUNK, SPLASH!

Regardless of what you were in the middle of, you and your familiar have been magically pulled into the world of Avalon just above the Bay's waters. After a brief plunge into the Bay, the rush of water filling your ears and soaking up into every creak and crevice of your body, you may need to cough to clear your airways when you rise above the surface. It's still chilly, but not enough that you can't manage on your own. The Lady of the Lake is swimming around under the water, but seems to be focusing on coordinating a band of mossatees to help rescue any wayward new arrivals. Mossatees are a special Avalonian manatee that is green in color and has what appears to be a patches of grass or other short plant life growing on its back. While some are fully green, many sport blooming flowers or fairy circles of mushrooms.

If anyone tries to ask the Lady of the Lake for directions, she will direct you to Archimedes at the Rent-a-Ride. Those with animal magic may get their info from the manatees, though may notice that they're really overly friendly and have zero concept of personal boundaries. Everyone may notice they have no concept of personal space, as they will happily run right into someone's belly for a snoot squishing. The shores themselves are littered with new arrivals complaining their way up a staircase carved into the walls of the White Cliffs. There is no railing, so be careful, but if you do fall, be prepared for a mysterious sand hand to reach out of the side of the cliffs to catch you. The hand will pat you atop the head twice before retreating back into the wall. This is the Cliff Beast; despite the name, he is quite friendly.

*Reminder: Your character's familiar may or may not be with your character in their initial plunge. If the familiar isn't partial to water, it may meet your character on the beach or sit atop their head while they swim. Or if they are, they might splash about and swim alongside your character. Familiars have different personalities and body specs and we leave those up to the players.

B ⦿ The Caravan to Camelot

Once everyone is wrangled up to the top of the White Cliffs, the handsome owner of the Rent-a-Ride, Archimedes, will distribute smart phones, a pair of earbuds, and animal-themed ponchos and tell them to "Check the Shit Box." The "Shit Box" refers to wardrobe more formally known as the Wardrobe of Finding, a hammerspace-like wardrobe that opens to each person's items and pets when the person touches the handle. It was recently enchanted by Merlin to prevent people from having to fish their waterlogged possessions and pets out of the water with them. From there, Archimedes directs everyone to settle in groups into modernized carriages pulled by horses and gives them a basic explanation of why and how they've been brought to Avalon: The rest of the universe is frozen in time and your character has been brought here by a familiar that was able to bond with them. They'll have to learn magic to help save their own world from destruction, but first they've got to get them to Camelot. It is here that you have the first opportunity to decide who they will be in their new home. You'll have about an hour to wander around here, meet and greet, and pet the horses before it's time to go.

These carriages use fae technology that combats weight, so your character will be able to get in regardless of whether they're light as a feather or weigh two tons. The carts have air conditioning when it's hot, heating when it's cold, and a mystical shield to protect from bugs. There is also a mini-bar that pops out of the console with nip bottles. Characters can use their smartphones to connect to Camelot's internet service,

avalononline (AOL), to chat with other characters, watch dumb videos, learn about the world, contact Camelot Support (they'll answer any questions they can for you, from how to use a smart phone to where to find quests and resources to learn more about your magic). Be careful if you decide to use your phones while in the caravan-- if you don't use those earbuds and start forcing everyone to listen to your nonsense, Archimedes may make you walk. Which given the fact that it's pouring down rain in April? Not ideal. You were only given ponchos, not rain boots.

C ⦿ The Red Spring

The journey from the White Cliffs to the City of Camelot is a long one, and the first evening you arrive you'll end up spending at the Red Spring, a booming resort town. Because of the volume of new arrivals and vacationers, inn rooms are assigned two-to-a-room. The rooms have two twin beds, a bathroom, a mini-fridge and microwave, and a TV equipped with a couple of entertaining video games and a few free movies.

Unfortunately, due to a bee infestation and massive amounts of rain, the hot springs of the Red Springs are not available this month! Instead, an underground salt cave is offered as a way to relax and unwind. Gather around in the rejuvenating, dimly lit caves and breathe in the relaxing effects of salt crystals. Feel the sand between your toes, or if you don't like sand, try one of the many pools with tiny garra rufa for a fish pedicure. Or, lie down in a recliner and stare up at the "stars"-- magic sparkles in the ceiling that move to spell out single-word concepts you may be experiencing. (Maybe you're relaxed? You might get something like "Chill." Find your relaxation buddy hot? Just be careful to look away before the stars spell "Thirsty" to the whole room.)

The springs are also home to a large training grounds just outside town limits, where there are teachers who will teach basic magic safety and help you discover what kind of magic you have together with other new arrivals. Try target practice, obstacle courses, meditation circles, and other ways to try to figure out just what you can do... if you didn't already have an accidental discovery on the ride there.

As it turns out, a mythical land that's been around for a few centuries has a few things in common with many modern worlds. It's got the internet, and games have evolved a little bit past hoop trundling and draughts. April, being the traditional month of mirth and games and lots of rain making it hard to have fun outdoors, is the time for Camelot City Gaming Convention, affectionately shortened to CameCon. Come into the large convention center located in the south part of town, get dry, and check out some of the awesome things to do.

A ⦿ Couchless Co-Op

Fighting games

NASTAR Racing Game

rhythm dance game

Grand Theft Automation

really

B ⦿ Arthurian RP in your Arthurian RP

LARP as their favorite Knight of the Round Table

rock-paper-scissors-magic

dress-up

props that will magically give you sword skills

picnic on the concrete floor

C ⦿ It Figures...

A convention isn't a convention without a little shopping. Come check out what cool games are upcoming in the exhibit hall, buy figurines of your favorite game characters (or.. new ones you've never heard of since this is a new world, but are still cute and/or kick-ass), and most importantly, check out the cool magic you can apply to them. A spell available for purchase in the convention hall that's popular this year is Recipe: Figure Anima, which makes your figures move in place and say popular lines as if they're an actual, miniature version of the character. It's recommended you practice while you're in the convention hall though so figure experts can help if things go.. awry. People have been known to have their own emotions influence the spell, and sometimes toys have started taking on the attitude of the caster. There's nothing quite as tragic as your favorite angelic game character telling you they're gonna kick your ass because you were in a fighting mood. So OOC. Maybe you can find someone who's a little better at magic to fix the problem?

Of course, when the rain breaks through and floods the exhibition room, there's a lot of mass hysteria as people scream and climb up onto tables, trying to protect their merch above all else. Hurry, help someone else up onto your table before their ent dakimakura they just purchased gets wet! Only you can save the gamers from water! ..Or that's what you thought, until a second later the electricity goes out and you're left in a total electricity blackout in the convention hall. It may be a good idea to use some magic to try to light the way and find a way out of the flooded hall...

A ⦿ Keep Your Vines to Yourselves

overgrowth of prehensile, very friendly vines

destructive magic

without

tickle the person the vines have captured

B ⦿ Selfies with Selkies

very, very large flower

Take a trip up to the Archivist

Cereus de Anima

the Silent Shore

shirtless selkie

take a selfie

eventually

a cottage on the other side of the Pure of Heart Bridge

old man that Morganna tried to kill and save in a quest a couple of months ago

C ⦿ The Answer is No

Back in Camelot City, it seems that anyone who's been touched by the vines has been replaced by a doppelganger in their lives. They're just barely off from the original- they have all the memories, but may be slightly more skilled at things they didn't used to be, or may seem to make less ethical choices than they might otherwise. There's just something slightly off. But when people start using AOL to contact their friends and let them know they've been gone.. well, it may seem like the jig is up, or at least in question.

Those who find out they've been replaced may want to return to Camelot quickly to try to reclaim their lives. Doppelgangers will attempt to kill their original if they come into contact with them when they aren't around other people, so you may need to flee for your life if you haven't gotten good enough at magic to defend yourself yet. Around other people, the doppelgangers will do their best to try to prove themselves the real person and since they were made from the original, will have the same memories as the original character so asking questions that "only ___ would know" may not work. Eventually it will come out that the doppelgangers have occasionally wriggling vines instead of spines underneath their clothing, if you're willing to check that to see who's real, but that won't be common knowledge.

What can be found out from the old man at the Pure of Heart bridge if you choose to leave your doppelganger alone is that Cereus de anima doppelgangers can only live for a month without killing their original and absorbing the rest of their essence. However, if the original plant isn't taken care of with a special venom you can only obtain from certain creatures in the Forest of the Fisher King, the problem will just keep happening over and over until the city is overrun and becomes nothing but a breeding ground for the flower and its replicas.

MOD NOTES:
• All test drive prompts are open to anyone in the game at any time to create your own logs with, but this post should have top-levels by potential new characters only. Current characters may reply to any threads, but should not top-level comment on this post.
• If your application is accepted, you may accept TDM threads as game canon as long as both players consent. Characters may begin threading as soon as their journal is accepted to the communities.
• You can have any animal-style poncho you want! They are themed, not made from actual animals. No animals have been harmed in the making of these ponchos!!
• TIMELINE: The resolution to the third prompt will be in April's event! The first two prompt sets will be during the first week of the month. The doppelganger problem and obnoxious traveling and research will be occurring for the second and third weeks of the month.
• People with green magic may be able to fill something off about the doppelgangers, but may not be able to identify what it is right away. Blood mages will be able to feel that their blood feels the same as the original as they are essentially copies. Cognitive people will be able to use their magic normally except for hypnotic suggestion- the doppelgangers are immune to it, so while you may be able to find other ways to out them, hypnotizing people to tell the truth won't work this time. Doppelgangers are made from the essence of the person, so they will be able to access their phones and accounts. Note that the Cereus de Anima and doppelgangers are not fairies and cannot be contracted with. If a Death Mage attempts to possess a doppelganger, it will technically come in contact with the doppelganger's vine and may end up with more than one doppelganger depending on how many times they try it. Siphon magic can be used to destroy a doppelganger easily, however, the essence that was stolen from the original's soul may be destroyed in the process so it is not recommended as the original may start to feel as though they are no longer a whole person.
• If nothing here tickles your fancy, try one of this month's Quests for your TDM prompt.
• The first "Arrival" prompts are present on every TDM, but contain seasonal tweaks for flavor. All other prompts will change monthly. Make sure to read the Red Spring section on this month's even if you're normally familiar-- the springs are closed this month, check out the alternate prompts!
• Questions about this TDM's content? Comment here! If you have a question about the game at-large, please head over to the FAQ.

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To be honest, Lan Wangji isn't quite sure what he is expecting from his question either. There had been so many questions he had wanted to ask, had tried to ask over the years only to be met with a deafening silence. Yet with Wei Ying actually here, they all seem strangely far away, inconsequential. But he has lived with that desperation and confusion for too long to know what else to do.

The why, the how of his return... The idea that the Yiling Laozu had performed one last malicious trick, one more act of wickedness, to die only to rise from hell like all his monsters and creations, had spread like wildfire across the cultivation world. And it had been a hope impossible to resist. The ray of sunlight shining on a man trapped in a deep pit. He had fought for that hope like his life depended on it. Had fought his elders for it. He bears the scars of that hope. To hear it denied so simply by Wei Ying himself--

It's less of a shock than it should be. In a way, he's always known. He had seen him on that cliff, had been the only one who did, unlike all those cultivators wallowing in greed and licentious horror stories. Wei Ying had never intended to come back. He had seen it in his eyes, had heard it in his voice when he had asked him to let him go--

The painful memory is interrupted by the conclusion Wei Ying seems to arrive at. A mistake...? How could this be a mistake? Does he think whatever brought him here was a fluke, or worse, that it was wrong? He barely even hears the rest, that Wei Ying doesn't mind being back. This, being reunited, having another chance, it can't be-- This time Lan Wangji doesn't resist his impulse and closes his hand firmly around Wei Ying's wrist. "Not a mistake," he says with an almost desperate surety, and then words fail him for the rest. But his eyes are shining far too brightly in the gloom of the cave.

That's certainly enough to drag Wei Wuxian out of his pall of speculation, and for an uncomfortably long moment, it's really all he can do to stare back in stunned silence, mouth open and eyes trying and failing to read whatever is happening immediately before him. The single log bridge is all well and good, but this isn't his darkness anymore and whatever wheeling thing populates it is almost certainly beyond his current capacity for bringing it to heel. Sometimes, Lan Zhan's insistence on precision in his words and restraint in his expression is a fun puzzle, and sometimes, a higher honor even, no puzzle at all. But this doesn't feel at all like a choice or a challenge, and certainly doesn't feel very restrained, and yet somehow intensity on Lan Zhan can be just as obfuscating, who knew. What it does feel like is a lot to be entrusted with, but hasn't he already pledged to do his best?

His best in this case is to gently pry Lan Zhan's hand free and take it in both his own, making this whole thing less fraught and reminiscent of cliffsides or drowning and more comforting, hopefully. "Alright, alright, it's not a mistake." Now instead of gawping he can look Lan Zhan in the eye with determination. Is determination even comforting, from him? Question for the ages. What he isn't being, very carefully, is humoring. If it's that important to Lan Zhan that the world, worlds now, make sense instead of mistakes, then that's that. He will...do things differently. Probably he doesn't even have a choice, so that works out. "I don't intend to let it be one, either way. Is that good enough?"

Lan Wangji has always been aware that he doesn't speak or act like others. Most of the time, earning anyone's understanding is not something he feels inclined to bother with. Their lack of understanding is not a failure of his. Most of the time, it hardly makes a difference if he is understood or not. People will think what they will of him. The ones whose understanding matters, his brother and Sizhui chief among them, are capable of it just fine, and if they don't he will make the effort.

But on a few occasions, it has been his failure. This feels like one of those times; something so vital to express - you are not a mistake - and Wei Ying only seems confused. Willing him to understand is not enough, yet again not enough, and for this long moment Lan Wangji is trying to reach out through the churning depths of his thoughts and feelings for any words at all to make him understand.

But it is Wei Ying who reaches out first, to pry his hand away. He is reluctant to allow it, dreading another rejection, but what follows is... the opposite. His hand held firmly, no intent to make him let go. The comfort and care in the gesture leave him stunned in return, he hadn't-- he wasn't looking for-- but the gentle touch eases all that, too. And now, at least, the confusion in Wei Ying's eyes is replaced by determination. He seems to understand the worth of the second chance they've been given, whether by some divine providence or not, that this can only be a good thing, that they must grasp it with both hands.

And so he does, squeezing Wei Ying's hands in return. "Neither do I," he says softly, but in a tone reserved for taking vows. He will not hesitate, this time. Whatever it takes to be by Wei Ying's side, he will do it. Whatever Wei Ying needs him to be, he will be it. This time, he will have no regrets.

Never has Wei Wuxian felt less like he understands how he has solved a problem, and that includes problems that necessitated entirely new cultivational techniques to solve, but he doesn't really need to understand in order to be glad. Truthfully it's a little terrifying, to be clung to by Lan Zhan for his own sake rather than an attempt to calm or subdue Wei Wuxian. How could it not be? Terrifying, and heart-breaking as well, and he's no better equipped to deal with this than if it were the Xuanwu cave all over again. But though it's always especially wrong for Lan Zhan to encounter misfortune, Wei Wuxian is still grateful to be trusted with these cracks in the façade. They've come a long way from Lan Zhan stubbornly carrying on with a broken leg and protesting a stranger's touch. Though it seems obvious enough, with a little thought, that he can't count on knowing things like that anymore. Anyone would have changed, except the dead, who remain stagnant. He certainly feels like a too-still pond at the moment.

But while he's exceptionally glad to have Lan Zhan a little more even keeled once more, he doesn't really know...how to take this quiet intensity. Lan Zhan has neither died nor made any major mistakes to atone for, to his knowledge. Inasmuch as he can see this as a second chance at all, rather than just an unexpected 'more,' it's his alone, ultimately. Even if Lan Zhan means to be supportive...well, he can't really engage with that just yet. There's just too much in his mind right now, there's no way to turn all these things over and have them fit together just right into something indisputable. There's no way to dig (kindly, like a medical necessity) into this vulnerability without risking his own, and he's not sure if he can. The issue of his death, and the idea that it was something anyone else had to live with, and that there might be something in that whole morass that Lan Zhan takes some blame for-- just because he's alive again and in a strange new world doesn't mean he can just handle that. All he can do is nod encouragingly, lips closed in a small smile. Not the first time he's made it from one end of a problem to the other without knowing what was in the middle precisely, but hopefully one of the less disastrous.

"I don't think you need to worry about that," he tries, wry and tentative, jostling their hands with directionless energy. Maybe being at a loss for words, for the right words anyway, is contagious. How to say he believes with utmost certainty that Lan Zhan has always tried more than enough, and will undoubtedly continue to do so, the same way the sun continues to rise? The past is the past, and there's no way to explain it could only be the way it was. "I know I haven't always been the most trustworthy, but you can believe me now, on these things, and not worry so much. Alright?"

Though he can't quite tell if Wei Ying understood the promise he just made to him, Lan Wangji finds himself content - even if he hasn't, he will show him its meaning every day until he does. Even if he had the words for it right now, what good would they be without the actions to prove them true. With every passing second, the idea of tomorrow as something that they have now to share becomes more real.

What he can tell is that Wei Ying is more concerned with reassuring him than any promises made. He's never known what to do with it, with sympathy or reassurance, never known how to fit it into his view of himself and the world. Like being handed an odd foreign object, its purpose and origin uncomfortably inscrutable, his answer used to be to ignore it or to toss it back. As long ago as he can remember, whenever someone - mostly his brother - had tried to tell him not to worry, or that it would be fine, or to slow down, it was because he'd made a mistake somewhere. Although he understands now that isn't always the case, and a little boy's simple and honest compassion had assured that he won't close himself off to it completely, his first instinct is still to think Wei Ying is being too generous.

Wei Ying's generosity is an extraordinary and paradoxical thing, never diminishing or diluting for how much of it he gives to the world. But it doesn't matter that he doesn't see where Lan Wangji had failed, so long as he himself sees it clearly. What matters far more in all that is something else, and it matters so much that he leans forward by a hair's breadth to speak with the same quiet conviction as before. "I believe you," he says and this time he doesn't have to avert his eyes. Again, he lacks the words to express his thoughts on trustworthiness and faithfulness, on who was right and who was wrong, but they have tomorrow to do it differently.

And that idea stirs in him a feeling much simpler, much clearer than all torrential thoughts on second chances and regrets and strange new worlds... It's so small and precious that he lowers his gaze a little, his features softening as though it's too fragile for all the intensity that had just been burning within him.

"I'm glad you came back." And came back like this, the most impossible of all the ways in which he could have transcended death - entirely himself, whole in mind and body.

And yet, Lan Zhan seems determined to kill him again already. Seriously, what is he meant to do with all this sincerity and softness? Paired with simple, unmistakable declarations, even ones he'd all but asked for? Making inarticulate strangled sounds and rolling on the floor is a tempting option and the foremost one to spring to mind, but he'd have to let go first and he can't risk letting Lan Zhan unbalance again if these are the kinds of things that happen as a consequence. So this is, effectively, inescapable. Maybe Lan Zhan's internal clock will tell him it's hao shi and he'll pass out. Wouldn't be ideal but at least Wei Wuxian would stand a chance.

As it stands he can only curl up like a shrimp and press his forehead to their hands in a purely inscrutable observance, possibly apology? Possibly just a reaction to sincerity and Lan Zhan's essential goodness? As a member of the recently dead, perhaps he is allergic. And much like the recently dead, he groans abjectly but cannot argue more eloquently against anything Lan Zhan has said, as much as he feels a directionless requirement to try. Or again, possibly just to escape. Lan Zhan really is too good and too much, both. How good to be allowed to experience that again.

"Lan Zhan, you can't say these things. I can't take it, and I can't," he swallows, "Live up to it. But I guess it's not a mistake at all then, anyway. If you're glad." He rallies, gains a spine, tries again. He's been part of literal battles that were less harrowing. "I'm glad too. This world won't know how fortunate it is."

Wei Ying folds like an umbrella, curls around their joined hands in a gesture that is both unbearably vulnerable and entirely incomprehensible, and it leaves Lan Wangji stunned once again. He has just enough time for a few alarmed doubts; is Wei Ying hurting? Is he crying? Had he said something wrong? And to realize this is once again the opposite of the reaction he'd come to expect from him - to pull away, to put a barrier or distance between them - before Wei Ying groans, which does not clear up much of anything.

It's while Wei Ying does his best to explain with halting words that it finally occurs to Lan Wangji that he may not be the only one overwhelmed with thoughts and feelings and no means good enough to express them with. And so, although his unshakable faith in Wei Ying's ability to live up to who he knows him to be trembles on his lips, he stays silent, and just listens.

As in a familiar dream, he sees himself run a comforting hand through Wei Ying's hair, entangle his fingers with a few askew strands and that red ribbon. But his hands are pinned and he could not bear to disturb him by moving. He sees himself bend down to press a kiss to the crown of Wei Ying's head, bow his own head in observance of all the love and grief he'd had nowhere to place for sixteen years. But he was asked to have mercy.

And so, although his eyes are brimming with all this affection and gratitude, all his forgiveness and apology and his wish to have this embrace never end, there's a smile in his voice when he says mildly, "No sitting improperly."

Some mercy! Lan Zhan humour, which is catastrophic at the best of times, currently leaves him feeling like freshly and vigorously rolled out dumpling dough, assuming it were somehow capable of watery stepped-on laughter. That's better, that's back on solid ground, a Lan Zhan that quotes rules and scolds, even with fondness in his voice surely heralding a look Wei Wuxian is not at all mentally fortified to face yet (or indeed, probably ever).

So he selfishly grants himself this last moment of hiding and clinging, before letting Lan Zhan go with a final grateful squeeze and sitting as properly as the weight of today still on him will allow. He deeply regrets the necessity of this, but Lan Zhan has been very tolerant and also does not seem at risk for further destabilisation. Sometimes you have to be the example of 'fine' you want to see in the world, and that means not getting tears on your friend's hands while you come to terms with a lot, very suddenly, and more, not at all. He finds he is very amenable to letting this conversation slide into less fraught territory even for just his own sake, leaning on a rapport that he can't really be sure is there but is starting to believe in regardless.

“What, even here? Are you going to make everyone follow the rules, or just me because I know them?” Privately, he wishes him the best of luck with the former, or the more...meaningful rules, at least. Probably many people would benefit from it, if even his small sample size has anything to say on the matter. Not a position he thought he'd ever be taking, but that's life, post-death anyway. “Maybe you should ease into it, either way. Start small. Tomorrow.”

Watery or not, making Wei Ying laugh still feels like a more meaningful accomplishment than any successfully completed sword form or musical composition. A moment of quiet pride and pure affection warms him entirely, accompanied by incredulous, directionless gratitude at such a thing being possible once more.

Though it pains him to do so, though he would happily remain like this until they've both grown old and grey, for Wei Ying's sake he allows him to withdraw his hands, thumbs brushing over his fingers as they slip out of his own. Noticing the tears clinging to his eyelashes is only alarming for a moment, before he realizes this is nothing like the last time he saw tears on Wei Ying's face. No red-rimmed eyes in a gaunt pale face, so much like a walking corpse already, no anguished grimace that nobody else even seemed to see; these tears seem cleaner somehow, a relief in his shaky smile, like something freed that was stuck. Only now does he wholeheartedly believe that Wei Ying is glad to be back. He drinks in the sight like it can replace that other, horrible memory that's been haunting his nightmares, if he just never loses sight of him again.

Wei Ying's teasing is certainly in the spirit of his own, but it also has another effect. An unexpected sense of comfort entirely unrelated to his resurrection; how good it is to have someone here who knows his principles, his home. How good to have someone in this world who knows him. His answering smile is comfortable and warm and almost sheepish, as if caught out by Wei Ying, and it is above all content.

And there it is again, tomorrow. Even before that day in Nightless City, it had been so long since they'd had more than a few hours to spend together. Years, since a tomorrow together had been any kind of certainty, something he didn't have to fight everyone including Wei Ying for. Then, it had become a desolate impossibility. And now? Now, what is going to stop them? Now, that Wei Ying is here and offering him a tomorrow of his own volition?

So there is no hesitation before he nods his agreement to the suggestion, to his offer. "Tomorrow," he echoes, tender and assured and grateful in equal measure.

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TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 6

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